Debian provides several text editors with different learning curves and capabilities.

Beginner-friendly, simple modal editor. Starts in edit mode:

nano file.txt

Common commands (Ctrl prefix): - Ctrl+X — exit - Ctrl+O — save - Ctrl+W — search - Ctrl+U — undo - Ctrl+V — next page

Quick, non-destructive, forgiving. Good for quick edits and scripts.

Powerful but steep learning curve. Three modes: - Normal (default) — navigation and commands - Insert (press i) — edit text - Command (:) — file/search commands

Basic workflow:

vim file.txt
i              # enter insert mode
[edit text]
Esc            # back to normal
:wq            # save and quit
:q!            # quit without saving

Useful normal mode commands: - dd — delete line - yy — copy line - p — paste - /pattern — search - :%s/old/new/g — replace all

Vim has syntax highlighting, text objects, macros, and extensive customization.

Extensible, powerful, but also steep. Heavy Ctrl usage. Start:

emacs file.txt

Commands: - Ctrl+X Ctrl+C — exit - Ctrl+X Ctrl+S — save - Ctrl+S — search - Ctrl+_ — undo

Less common on systems without X11; vim is usually available everywhere.

Minimal line editor, rarely needed:

ed file.txt

Useful only when nothing else available (embedded systems, minimal recovery).

Set default editor:

export EDITOR=vim
export EDITOR=nano

Used by crontab -e, visudo, and many tools. Pick one and learn it: - Quick edits → nano - Programming → vim - Extensive config → emacs

For shell scripts: vim with syntax highlighting makes debugging easier. For one-liners: nano is faster.